Perseus (Ch 21)

Etymology: N/a.
Geographic Associations: Are of Argos, Mycenae and Tiryns, centre of Greek mainlans.
Origin: Central Greek culture figure. Son of Zeus + Danae.
Claim to Fame: Slaying the Gorgon Medusa, rescuing Andromeda, founder of Mycanae
Literature: Herodontus

Birth: Danae (daughter of Acrisius, King of Argos) + Zeus (Golden Shower)
1. Prophecy for Life: Son of Danae will overthrow King Acrisius.
2. Miraculous Conception: Danae is imprisoned in a brazen [underground chamber/tower] by her father to preserve her virtue. Zeus appears as a shower of sparks to impregnate her.
3. Imminent Threat at Birth: Acrisius denies divine parentage, and casts his daughter and grandson out to the Aegean sea in a chest. Rescued by Dictys ("net man") rescues the pair and delivers them to his brother Polydectes, King of Seriphos, who falls for Danae much to her resistance.
4. Quest: Polydectes orders the young men of the island to bring the throne a horse each. Perseus one ups his peers by boasting he can bring him the head of a Gorgon.

• With the assistance of Athena, he is directed to the Graiai ("Grey Ones", daughters of Phorcys + Ceto) where he steals their single eye and tooth to obtain the whereabouts of the nymphs. 
• From the nymphs, Perseus obtains the Cap of Invisibility, Winged Sandals, and a leather Kibisis ("pouch"). Later variants add in the Scimitar and Polished Shield of Hermes. He then seeks to find the Gorgons Stheno (i.), Euryale (i.), and Medusa (m.).
•  Using the polished shield to prevent petrification, Perseus beheads Medusa and places it in the Kibisis. From her decapitated body springs her two offspring from a tryst with Poseidon, Pegasus (winged horse) and Chrysaor ("he of the Golden Sword"). 
• On his return journey, Perseus saves Andromeda (daughter of Cassiopia + Cepheus, King of Ethiopia) from being sacrificed to Poseidon's sea monster for her mothers hubristic claim she is more ceautiful than the Neriads (Egyptian Oracle of Zeus Ammon symbolizes Greek/African fusion). He then defeats Andromeda's bethrothed, Phineus, by transforming him to stone, and then takes her hand in marriage. 
• On his return to the Island of Seriphos, Perseus avenges his mothers harassment by turning Polydectes to stone, elevating Dictys to crowned ruler.
• While participating in the funeral games in Thessaly, he accidentally kills Acrisius with a stray discus throw. Since he cannot return to Argos with blood on his hands, he becomes king of Tiryns and with Andromeda creates the generations before the family of Atreus.

5. Afterward and Etiology: The Gorgon head is given to Athena for her [breastplate/shield] called the Gorgoneion, while the Sandals, Kibisis, and Cap are given to Hermes. Perseus and Danae form a family and have a son, Perses, that inherits the kingdom of Cepheus and fathers the Perseid Dynasty (ancestors of Heracles).

• Athena invents the flute in imitation of the lamentations of the two surviving Gorgons.
• On his escape, Pegasus strikes Mr Helicon in passing, and from it the Hippocrene fountain emerges, spouting artistic inspiration for generations to come.
• As Perseus flew over Libya, the Gorgon blood dripped through the Kibisis = poisonous snakes.
• As Perseus passed Atlas he was refused hospitality, so he turned Atlas to stone = Atlas mountains.

Apollo (Ch 11)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Apollo
     (l.) Apollo, Phoebus ("bright/shining"), Loxius ("crooked/devious")
Domain: Ambiguous non-hellenic origin (Lycia, Hyperborea). Came to occupy Delphi.
Genealogy: Zeus + Leto. Brother to Artemis. Father of Asclepius (father of medicine).
Claim to Fame: God of poetry, prophecy, medicine, sailors, colonization, archery. Installer of the oracle
     at Delphi. Conqueror of land but not of love.
Iconography: Sun, lyre, raven, swan, laurel wreath, dolphin
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Ovid's Metamorphosis

Myth

I. Delian Apollo - On the island of Delos, Leto finds refuge from the wrath of Hera, who is trying to prevent the birth of her children. In exchange for sanctuary, the lonely island is promised wealth, civilization, populace and fame. After 9 days of labour, Eilethya (goddess of childbirth) is sent to assist her, as conjured by Iris (goddess of the rainbow). Artemis is born first and it is either her or Eilethya that assists Leto with the birth of Apollo. From then on, the island is used as a treasury for the Athenians.

II. Pythian Apollo - Prophetized before birth that he is destined to seek a location for an oracle, Apolo comes to Crisa, at the foot of Mt. Parnassus. After slaying the dragon residing there (symbol of I.E. domination over autochthonous cultures), he leaves it there to rot and it becomes known as Pytho[n] ("to rot"). In punishment for slaying Ge & Themis' dragon, Apollo is exiled to Thessaly for 9 years (roots for the purification Festival of Stepteria, which occurs every 9 years).
Upon his return, Zeus sends his two eagles around the earth, and drops the Omphalus ("navel", Zeus stand-in that tricked Cronus) where they meet, which becomes the city to be known as Delphi.

III. Apollo Delphinius - After transforming himself into a dolphin (delphis), Apollo commandeers a Cretan ship and enlists the sailors as attendants for his oracle (symbol of minoan cultures being 'commandeered' by I.E. forces). Delphi becomes the sanctuary name, becomes an athletic/academic hub as well as a treasury of the rich and powerful.
Apollo installs Pythia, the prophetess of Apollo, upon a tripod (symbol of divine power) to relay oracles to the priest of Apollo for interpretation. Generally an asexual, postmenopausal mortal speaking in tongues. Believed to be possessed by Apollo, whereas it's more likely she was hallucinating from breathing in fumes from a nearby chasm or chewing copious amounts of laurels and vegetation. Also created and forwarded the maxims "know thyself" and "nothing too much" to warn humankind against our own hubris.

IV. Olympian Idol
1. Pan (Goat god, associate of Dionysus) criticizes the music of Apollo, boasting he can pipe better than Apollo can play his lyre. King Tymolus and King Midas are consulted as judges for the competition, and when Midas hubristically spites Apollo by siding with pan, he sprouts donkeys ears that from that day on must be wrapped in a turban. Pan is spared, only because of his divine company.
2. Marsyas (satyr) and his flute challenges Apollo to a musical contest, whereby the victor can do anything to the vanquished. Marsyas is easily defeated by Apollo and his lyre, and as a result is flayed alive.

V. Labours of Love - Apollo met and transcended a series of lovers, seemingly cursed to never find companionship.
1. Cassandra (daughter of Priam, King of Troy): offered the gift of prophecy in exchange for sexual favours. When she renegs on her end of the deal, she is cursed: always prophesies the truth, but never believed.
2. Cumaen Sibyl: Offered as many years of life as the grains of sand in her hands in exchange for sexual favours. She also renegs on the deal, she is cursed with a long life without lasting youth. Reduced in stature to the extent she becomes only a voice eternally wishes for death instead of obscurity.
3. Marpessa (lover of mortal argonaut Idas): Zeus intervenes with her abduction, giving her a choice of lovers. Apollo is rejected because she is afraid of abandonment once in her old age.
4. Daphne ("laurel", daughter of River Peneus) - Eros strikes Apollo with a golden arrow and Daphne with a leaden one so she will reject his advances. She flees and calls upon her father's help to escape Apollo's grasp, and is thus transformed into the laurel tree that is foreverore sacred to Apollo.
5. Hyacinthus (Spartan inamorato of Apollo ): killed by an errant discus, sent by a jealous Zephyrus (west wind). Apollo causes Hyacinth flower to sprout from the blood, the petals inscribed "ai, ai...", the cry of lament from Apollo. Worshipped annually him at the Hyacinthia (Spartan tomb).
6. Coronis (legitimate wife): pregnant with Apollo's child Asclepius, Coronis has an affair with another mortal, which is witnessed by Apollo's raven. Out of rage, Apollo blackens the feathers of his raven, and mortally wounds his wife. Filled with regret, he sets up her funeral pyre, but manages to salvage his  unborn son out of the flames. Asclepius is handed over to Chiron, the wise centaur, to be tutored in the healing arts. Asclepius matures to become known as the father of medicine, symbolized by his medical staff coiled with a single serpent, and sets up temple complex Epidaurus in the Peloponnesus to serve as a healing sanctuary honouring the gods.

Prometheus

Etymology and Epithets: Prometheus, Pro "before" + Metheus "thought"
Genealogy: Iapetus (titan) + Themis. Brother to Atlas and Epimetheus.
Claim to Fame: Trickster figure. Greek Culture Hero responsible for theomorphism of humans, religious sacrifice, and deliverance of technology and innovation to mankind.
Literature: Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. Ovid's Metamorphosis.

Myth

I. Anthropogonal: The birth of humankind is rumoured to have been Prometheus' doing, who fashioned our form out of clay and bestowed within all of us a divine spark.
II. Religious Sacrifice: Prometheus, with sympathy for starving humankind at odds with the Gods, sacrificed an ox and portioned the animal evenly. To Zeus he offered the first choice of portions, either the bones,  cleverly and appealingly disguised by the dripping fat and gristle, or the meat, unappealingly disguised and reduced in ration. Zeus foolishly chooses the fat, leaving the sustaining portion to be consumed by humankind.
Etiologically, burnt sacrifice to the gods now holds only bones and fat, the meat and innards we consume ourselves first.

III. Gifts/Curses: Unfortunately Zeus, a young and wrathful god at the time, punishes mortals by removing fire and direct contact with the gods. Prometheus recovers the flame by hiding it in a fennel stalk, the first incidence of technology for humans to develop upon.
A prophecy bestows Prometheus with the knowledge of Zeus' future usurper, but refuses to reveal the information to the sky god. For this, he is shackled by Kratos ("strength") and Bia ("force") to the cliffs of Mt. Caucasus, gorged upon daily by Zeus' eagle, only to have his innards grow back nightly.
Zeus also gives the gift/curse of women in the form of Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother, and once her box is opened humankind is faced with infinite scourge.

Zeus (Ch 5)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Zeus
     (l.) Jupiter, Ju "sky" + piter/pater "father"
     Dios, Di "bright"
     Imported sky-god with the the migration of patriarchal Indo -European cultures
Domain:
     Dodona, sanctuary worshipped of Dios and Dione (not Hera). Zeus' oracle interpreted the rustling
     of oak tree leaves, burnt offerings, and the cooing of doves to prophecy.
     Peloponnesus, worshipped at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia (Est. 5th c BC), the original site of
     the a sanctuary and temple complex that was the original site of the Olympic games in 776 BCE.
Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea. Husband of Hera, cuckold of many - mortal and immortal.
Claim to Fame: God of all, weather, storms, oaths, xenia ("guest/host relationship"), suppliants.
Iconography: Eagle, sceptre, crown, aegis
Literature: Hesiod's Theogony

Myth

I. Birth: Cronus swallowed each of his six children of Cronus and Rhea (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus), paranoid that the prophecy of Uranus would continue. Rhea and Zeus conspire and substitute a swaddled stone when Zeus is "born" (came to be known as the omphalus, "navel"). While Cronus continues to rule unaware, Zeus is reared in Crete on Mt. Dicte by Amalthea ("goat") and Melissa ("bee"). His cries are hidden from Cronus by the clamouring of the Curetes ("young men"), devotees of the Mother Goddess who wield cymbals and drums. He subsists on the bounty of nature, a cornucopia ("horn of plenty"), until he is of age to overthrow his father.
Zeus symbolizes a fusion of Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures in that he integrates the existing earth religions with the dominant iIndo-European belief system. With his import follow a series of myths that replace indigenous social beliefs of matriarchy, polygamy, and transpomorphism, with patriarchy, monogamy, and anthropomorphism.

II. Coming of Age: Zeus returns to Mt. Othrys and rescues his siblings (and the omphalus) from his father Cronus, then seeks to establish his new rule.
     - Titanomachy: The Olympians, Themis (and her son Prometheus), the Cyclopes, and 100-handers,
        of Mt. Olympus, engage the Titans in a 10 year battle that results in their defeat. They are
        locked away in Tartarus for their misdeeds. Atlas (titan) is punished for his misalliance by the
        penalty of having to physically separate earth and sky, preventing the procreation of any more
        earthy beasts.
     - Gigantomachy: The Gegeneis ("earth born", "giants"), born from the spilled blood of Uranus, sent
       by the titans, and are defeated handily by the Olympians with the help of Heracles.
     - Typhonomachy: Zeus battles Typhon (a.k.a. Typhoeus, Typhaon, son of Gaia and Tartarus), a
       snaky, fire breathing, 100 head (subsequently 100 voices), that set the world aflame. He is
       defeated with some difficulty and is hurled beneath Mt. Etna to Tartarus.
With his nemesis' defeated, Zeus attains the throne on Mt. Olympus and ascends his new rule.

III. Affairs:
     - Metis ("wisdom"), swallowed by Zeus = Athena
     - Mnemosyne (titan, "memory") = Muses, the patron Goddesses of the Arts
     - Themis ("law") = 3 Fates: Clotho ("spinner"), Lachesis ("apportioner"), Atropos ("inflexible")
                                = 3 Horae: Eunomia ("good order"), Dike ("justice"), Eirene ("peace")
     - Eurynome ("wide dominion") = 3 Charites/Gratiae ("Graces"), associated with Aphrodite
     ... And much, much more.

IV. Zeus and Lycaon: Disguised as a mortal to calibrate the moral fibre of mankind, Zeus feasted at the castle of Lycaon, King of Arcadia. To test his divinity, Lycaon serves Zeus human flesh, which evokes the wrath of Zeus to destroy all of mankind. Lycaon is transformed into a wolf (Lykos "wolf"), and Zeus threatens to ignite the world. The Gods, fearful of their own annihilation, suggest he flood the earth instead, of which only the two mortals Deucalon (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha (daughter of Epimetheus) are the sole survivors.
Wracked with guilt, Zeus looks to repopulate the earth. The couple visit the Oracle of Themis, who order them to cover their head, loosen garments, and "toss the bones of the earth over their shoulder". Wily Deucalon reasons that stones are the bones of the earth, so he and Pyrrha obey and form the iron age(his becomes man, hers become women).
The couple has a son, Hellen, who is the eponymous founder of the Hellenes (Greeks).